Seed dispersal can involve wind, animals, water, gravity or release mechanisms in the parent plant. Shape and surface features influence movement, while conditions such as airflow and available carriers also matter. This model compares three reviewed strategies. Its paths are illustrative and do not predict a real distance, landing site or successful establishment. Animals can also carry swallowed seeds internally when viable seeds survive passage through the gut.
Plants, animals and ecosystems · Discover & try
How can a seed travel away from its parent?
Reading level 3 of 5 · IndependentChange
Word help
dispersal
Movement away from the place a seed formed.
buoyancy
The support that can allow an object to float in a fluid.
Watch · Try · Explain
See how it works
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Selected dispersal mechanisms with imagined paths; no real travel distances or germination success are predicted.
What to look for
- Structures interact with carriers
- Several routes can exist
- Arrival does not guarantee growth
Explain what you noticed
A bird eats berries, then passes intact seeds in its droppings away from the plant. Which dispersal route does this show?
Keep this idea: Match a structure with a possible carrier, then distinguish travel from establishment.
Follow the sources
- U.S. Forest Service — Woody Plant Seed Manual: Seed Biology
- U.S. Forest Service — Seed Dispersal: Weed Wackers Educators Guide
- USDA Forest Service — Seed Dispersal by Animals
Source material checked 2026-10-28. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Source links do not imply endorsement.
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